The Private Eye: Observing Snow Geese PDF
Preview The Private Eye: Observing Snow Geese
The Private Eye This page intentionally left blank Mary Burns The Private Eye: Observing Snow Geese UBC PRESS / VANCOUVER © UBC Press 1996 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free paper ISBN 0-7748-0575-7 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Burns, Mary, 1944- The private eye Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7748-0575-7 1. Snow goose. I. Title QL696.A52B87 1996 598.4'1 c96-910494-4 UBC Press gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support to its publishing program from the Canada Council, the Province of British Columbia Cultural Services Branch, and the Department of Communications of the Government of Canada. UBC Press University of British Columbia 6344 Memorial Road Vancouver, BC v6T 1Z2 (604) 822-3259 Fax: 1-800-668-0821 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.ubcpress.ubc.ca This book is dedicated to David Hughes Robertson with thanks for his faith and his always generous support, and to the memory of Glen Smith, wildlife biologist, bird artist, gentle man. This page intentionally left blank Contents Maps and Illustrations viii Introduction xi 1 The Flight South / 3 2 The Eye of the Beholder 13 3 Fall on the Fraser 22 4 The Scientific View 37 5 Data Surfing and Other Observational Sports 57 6 The Artist's Perspective 74 7 Down the Ditch! Dialogues with Hunters 99 8 Snow Geese for Supper 122 9 The Festival of Snow Geese 126 10 Pair Bonding on the Skagit 142 11 Spring, the Flight North 165 12 Nesting on Wrangel: The Cycle Continues 184 13 Afterthoughts 199 Bibliography 202 Index 205 Maps and Illustrations Maps 9 Migration routes of Wrangel Island snow geese 172 Yukon Delta Illustrations 5 Snow goose holding grass in its serrated bill. Courtesy of Lothar Kirchner 11 Snow geese take flight. Courtesy of Kathleen Fry, Ducks Unlimited Canada 31 Snow geese coming in for a landing on Westham Island. Courtesy of Kathleen Fry, Ducks Unlimited Canada 31 Snow geese families grazing at the Reifel Sanctuary. Courtesy of John Ireland 33 Snow geese drinking. Courtesy of Barbara Llewellyn 41 Fred Cooke. Courtesy of Valerie Shore 55 Barbara Ganter with M-6o on Wrangel Island. Courtesy of Barbara Ganter 65 Sean Boyd and John Takakawa with banded goose on Wrangel Island. Courtesy of Sean Boyd Snow geese fill the fields of Westham Island and the skies above. 79 Courtesy of Barbara Llewellyn 84 Robert Bateman. Courtesy of Birgit Freybe Bateman 89 Point Roberts artist Evelyn Roth leads a parade of third-graders from Ladner Elementary School around her forty-five-foot inflat- able snow goose. Courtesy of Melissa Stewart, Bellingham Herald Robert Bateman's 'Snow goose landing.' Courtesy of Robert 91 Bateman Studio, photograph by Robert Bateman 97 Robert Husband with Hugh Monahan painting. Photograph by Mary Burns 102 Pat Mulligan hunting. Courtesy of Henry Parker 119 The long retrieve, half a mile off shore: Henry Parker and his dog Tar. Photograph by G. Reifel, courtesy of Henry Parker 127 Snow geese flying in formation. Courtesy of Maurice Llewellyn 130 John Ireland wearing goose hat and holding a one-winged goose. Photograph by Mary Burns 133 Geese in a Westham Island farm field. Courtesy of Sean Boyd 139 This foursome may be a family flying together. Courtesy of Maurice Llewellyn 151 Barley for Birds program on Skagit Delta. Courtesy of Maynard Axelson 151Snow geese and cover crop on Westham Island. Courtesy of Barbara Llewellyn 156 Snow goose with band and radio transmitter. Courtesy of Maurice Llewellyn 171 Charles Hunt. Courtesy of Charles Hunt 179 Hunting with bolas. Based on drawing from Fitzhugh and Kaplan (1982) 181 A hunting party on the Yukon Delta: Francis Hunt, Ralph Martin, and Aloysius Unok. Courtesy of Charles Hunt 189 Snow goose pair on nest, Wrangel Island. Courtesy of Sean Boyd 195 Snow geese families waddling down the Tundovaya River, Wrangel Island. Courtesy of Sean Boyd 197 Aerial shot of snow geese on moulting grounds. Courtesy of Sean Boyd Maps and Illustrations ix
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